Ryan Robert Burch, born April 5, 1987, passed away May 31, 2024, and entered eternal peace with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
Ryan lived a full life, being raised in a loving Christian home surrounded by a wonderful community of friends. Ryan was kind, loving, and cared deeply for others. This led him to pursue a career in healthcare where he enjoyed over a decade of serving others in the Emergency Department at Hennepin County Medical Center as a registered nurse, having worked as an EMT prior to finishing his RN program. Ryan was deeply loved and valued by his coworkers, particularly Ashley Berg, Christian Erickson, Edie Sherman, Jim Drontle, and Kelley Moll. With humility and empathy, he was notorious for lending a helping hand to anyone in need.
Ryan worked closely with the Minneapolis Police Department, the Minneapolis Fire Department, and the Hennepin County Association of Paramedics & EMTs. Ryan had started a “Kindness Project” with his long-time girlfriend where they handwrote Thank You notes, included a Chipotle gift card, and would hand them to police officers as he saw them in the hospital and on the streets of Minneapolis thanking them for their service.
Ryan, like many people serving on the front lines, witnessed and experienced many tragedies in life. Ryan was a true advocate for those who were suffering to ease their pain and help them with his magnetic personality and genuine kindness. He could make anyone laugh, and you never had to guess what he was thinking. He and his mom shared the same witty sense of humor, and they had an unbreakable bond.
Ryan loved being an older brother and an uncle. Sydney and Sophie have fond memories of summer vacations, road trips, and bike rides. Sophie loved it when Ryan took her to basketball because it meant he would play his cool rap music and bring her to Dairy Queen afterwards. When he came home to visit from college, he would not hesitate to help his sisters with their math homework. Sydney will always remember him affectionately calling her “Dipsey” growing up and him taking her for rides in his green-underlit Jetta. He would drive his little sisters to school and make their backs bounce because of his subwoofers playing music he would call “gangster.” He had the biggest smile when his nieces would call him “Auntie Ryan!” He would try to tell them “Uncle Ryan” and they would just giggle! He shared their pictures with his co-workers with pride.
Ryan loved the outdoors. Despite his infamous neck fan, his ideal day included 85-degree sunny weather. He enjoyed boating, swimming, soccer, skydiving, camping, and going on annual hunting trips with his dad and paternal grandfather. Ryan spent many summers with his family and friends at the family condo in Ft. Myers, Florida going to the beach and swimming. Ryan and his parents also shared their love of riding motorcycles.
Ryan is survived by his loving parents, Rob and Sandy Burch; sisters Sydney (Jacob) Forst, Sophia (husband-to-be Kerry Ledin) Burch; nieces Evangeline, Celine, and Josephine Forst; paternal grandparents, paternal aunts, uncles, and cousins; and maternal uncle Mike (Vicki) Ammon. Ryan was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents Milton and Joan Ammon.
The family plans to continue the “Kindness Project” that Ryan started so that the frontline workers can continue to know they are appreciated and loved so that Ryan’s legacy of kindness continues.
Family and friends are welcome to come and honor Ryan’s life on July 13, 2024, at Finnegan’s in Minneapolis, hosted by his friends at the Hennepin County Association of Paramedics & EMTs.
